Raku

Food – It really feels like I discover a new favorite restaurant every week. I really don’t see how anything will top this place though. I have made “real” ramen at home a few times but never really had it prepared for me before. I guess I have really never had Asian noodles before either other than the cheap Asian takeout places. Maybe all of those factors is what blew me away about this place. There were such amazing and incredible flavors in this bowl. I had never tasted anything like it. The broth the noodles come in was unbelievable. I pride myself on being a great cook (at least in my mind) but every once in a while I run across a dish and think that I would never be able to replicate it no matter how hard I tried. This was a dish like that, and it’s how I knew it has now become a new favorite place of mine. Food gets an A+

Ambiance – Oh this place just had a very fun ambiance to it. Everything had such great detail to it and was unique. To the hardwood bar and tables, to the Asian writing on the ceiling, to the bamboo around the restaurant, to everything else it was just incredible. The one thing I really loved was that they were playing Asian pop music. It’s a little loud but I loved it so much. It was fun and catchy and I almost thought about asking them where I could get some music like that but chickened out. Oh well guess I will just have to go back to listen more. Ambiance gets an A+

Service – This lady was so friendly that served me. I think she saw my confusion over the menu because I didn’t recognize the name of most things or ingredients. So, she asked if it was my first time and when I said yes, with a friendly smile she explained the menu to me and even gave me suggestions on what was popular. She was very helpful, the service was fast, and it was welcoming as well. Service gets an A+

Price/Quality – My bill was $8, I was stuffed, and I had just ate one of the best dishes I had ever been served. I would say for what you receive, it is an amazing price. I am definitely going to return very often and have no complaints about forking over $8 for this. Price/Quality gets an A-

Uniqueness – Very authentic Ramen that isn’t out of a dump on Buford Highway actually does surprise me. Almost all of the Asian restaurants around, even the authentic ones still have Americanized influence in their dishes. The same isn’t true here. When you throw in amazing service, the superior quality of the dish, and the great location, it certainly is one of a kind. Uniqueness gets an A+